I caught my turtle, Fatty McFatterson, snoozin on his basking rock the other day. It's really cute because Fatty is a water turtle, so he rarely gets out of the water. I love how he stretches his back legs out, you can see it in the 2nd pic. (AH! The forum cuts the pic off so you can't see it! Grrr!)

When I took the 2nd picture, the flash went off, and he opened his eye halfway and gave me a dirty look.

We've had the turtles for almost a year now, but they are still really tiny. Both Fatty and Brangelina are about the size of a half dollar. We've done exactly what we've been told to maintain healthy turtles, so thankfully both are very healthy and very good eaters.

 I think they are so adorable. My son loves turtules too and wants to have one as a pet. Do they make good pets?

So cute! I had one many many years ago, and only managed to keep it alive a week :(

Jessi

I love them as pets, but it depends...how old is your son?

Fatty and Brangelina are water turtles, and spend nearly all their time in the water. They do need a "basking station" that they can crawl onto (like Fatty is snoozing on). So they're really more like having fish than "pets." They're really fun to watch swim, and they get SO excited when they see people come into the room! It's adorable!

I don't suggest a turtle if your son is young and very "hands-on." The turtles need a warmer temp (we have both a water heater and a heat/uv lamp), so it's not really healthy to be out of their environment too much, but people also run the risk of contracting salmonella from handling the turtles. This isn't a big deal if he's not too hands-on, or older and knows to wash his hands every time you put them in the tank, but if he's always wanting to be touching the turtles, he may get too casual and not wash everytime.

They don't take too much work to maintain, but they need a proper set up to thrive and stay healthy. At the very least, you need a 30 gallon tank, a uv/heat light, water heater, thermometer, water filter, and basking station. We also have a timer to make sure they get the right amount of light daily. They need water added often (because of evaporation) and they need their tank scrubbed about once every 2 weeks because of poop and algae. They'll need it cleaned more often when they get bigger. 

If you're new to having any aquatic animal, you may actually want to start with a bigger, older turtle because they are hardier than hatchlings like mine. They can eat pelleted food or small fish, and since I've raised mine since hatchlings, they like to eat off my finger! If you are interested in one, make sure you get one that has been bred/raised in captivity. The ones plucked from the wild are not only eco-unfriendly, but are more prone to getting sick or giving you salmonella.

I hope that gives you some idea about turtle ownership! Let me know if you need any other info! Here's some more pics of my "swimmies."

Fatty and Brangelina are so adorable!   What size are they expected to mature to?

They should "mature" to be about 7" long (from the front to the back of their shells), but that should take a LONG time, probably about 7-8 years for them to get that big. They just hatched last summer, so they're not even technically a year old yet!

They are very cute!!!  One of the people I toured with had a couple of turtles on the road with us for a while.  The only trick for her was getting them home when we had breaks because she was told that they could not go on an airplane.  I will have to contact her and see if she still has the turtles.

 Awww, I love baby red-eared sliders.  They do grow verrrrrrrrrrrry slowly, so will stay tiny for a few years.   They can get big in the wild (very big!) but for some reason do not seem to grow well in captivity -- I guess that's a good thing, so you don't have to have a huge tank.

 Note for folks keeping these guys -- they are fun to watch, but please do not release them (yes, this happens a lot) if you get tired of them, they are very invasive species in many areas and will take over habitats, causing native species die offs.  So keep 'em in the house and enjoy!  

 He's seven years old and very hands on. I guess it wouldn't be a good idea to get him one. thanks

Maybe a lizard... my leopard geckos are great pets and friendly (well, one is friendly, and the ones I've had in the past were as well, but I do have one that isn't...). Easy to care for as well :)

Jessi

 Thats a good idea. I'll see if he likes them. Thanks

I used to have a red ear and a hispanolian slider. They actually got really big ( small dinner plate ) but they had a mr turtle pool full of goldfish in the basement ( heated, uv light, etc) I got them free from the paper they were the size of my hand, the guy told me they were full grown , lol. I love sliders, hate the cost of filtration to keep them happy :)

Those are great pics.  And I love the names - Fatty and Brangelina - hehe.

I always had furry, warm blooded pets when I was a kid but I've always been fascinated but amphibians (sp?)